Peach Almond Crisp

Peach Almond Crisp
Cook's notes: Crisps are a great summertime dessert with so many fruits in season. The topping has an extra crunch made with yummy chopped honey roasted cinnamon almonds. The baker from
twopeasandtheirpod gave me permission to have it for breakfast. In her own words...this crisp is technically a dessert, but if you find yourself eating it for breakfast, don’t be ashamed. It has almonds, oats, and fruit. Sounds like a breakfast of champions to me!
And indeed it was! It was a perfect morning treat. I skipped the ice cream scoop but my husband couldn't resist. I say this peach crisp is delicious no matter what time of day it is served.



Colorado peaches are currently available in the stores. They make the crisp extra juicy and flavorful. A product called Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds was suggested in the recipe. I found the local grocery store had their own similar product. For easier peeling skin off peaches place in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and run peaches under cold water.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
6 cups sliced peaches (about 6 large peaches)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Topping:
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 cup chopped Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds or 1 cup crushed almonds mixed with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
optional Ice cream for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches with the flour, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla. Gently mix and let sit 10 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined and the brown sugar clumps are broken down. Add the butter pieces and mix in with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture. A food processor can be used for this step pulsing butter pieces in. Stir in chopped almonds.
Use a slotted spoon and place filling in baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the crisp topping over peaches.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the crisp is bubbling. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Note-the crisp is best the day it is made, but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.

Taming Curled Parchment
Often parchment paper doesn't lie flat on a baking sheet. Try spraying the baking sheet with vegetable oil spray and then cutting the right size piece of parchment and pressing it onto the sprayed baking sheet. The edges will stay down and won't keep rolling up.



It's the birthday of poet Joyce Sutphen August 10, 1949. She grew up on a farm in St, Joseph, MN. In 1990, she was overseas, on a break from her Renaissance Studies at the University of Minnesota, when she began to consider a life not just of studying poetry, but also of writing it. "I found myself in London for three months, with a room of my own. I found my voice there, too." She began writing the poems that would form the core of her prize-winning first collection, Straight Out of View (1995). She published several more books of poetry, and in 2011 she was named poet laureate for the state of Minnesota. She was the second poet laureate in the state's history, following Robert Bly.
Sutphen's most recent book, Modern Love and Other Myths (2015), was published earlier this year. (information from Writers Almanac)